The Infected
The Infected are victims of the NEMEXIS virus. They are highly aggressive, lack any form of reason, and no longer resemble their past selves. History With soldiers deserting in droves, NEMEXIS sought to create a stamina drug that could combat fatigue. Designed by Gilbert Gerard, this drug eventually became a success. However, when several test subjects were given an overdose of the drug, they began to develop abnormal symptoms. Devoid of any reason or intellect, these "Infected" began to attack others. Anyone injured by the Infected soon joined their ranks. As a result, the Infection quickly spread within the facility. All attempts to contain the outbreak ended in failure. More detailed information can be found in Quarantine. Becoming Infected , along with the first three "Special" Infected (clockwise, starting from top-right: Charger, Crusher, Striker).]] While no official method has been confirmed, it is assumed that typical injuries (such as bites or scratches) are the main cause of Infection. The time between the initial point of infection and a total transformation varies. Furthermore, no one has been shown to be immune to the virus - not even the Player. Method of Transformation 'Contraction through Bites' The Infected rarely bite their victims in-game, despite doing so in the Quarantine Mode Trailer. Viper, who was bitten by the Infected in the trailer, is killed before any notable changes take place - making this method even more ambiguous. 'Air/Liquid Travel' Cabin Fever hints that the Infection can travel in liquids (or even the air) through limited means. Assuming they were never injured, the protagonist of Cabin Fever seems to have contracted the infection through the air. The Striker further hints that protective gear (such as gas-masks) also offer little protection against the Infection. 'Direct Injection' The original test subjects, along with Mutagen-wielders, have shown that the most effective method of Infection is through direct injection; though with the Mutagens, the changes do not take place until they are Infected. Duration of Transformation 'Fireteam' During the events of Cabin Fever, the main character eventually becomes infected towards the end of the game. 'Quarantine' In Quarantine, players instantly "turn" when they are killed. This also applies to those who use mutagens, whose effect is also instantaneous. Degree of Transformation 'Unknown Determinant' The type of Infected you become is reliant on some unknown determinant. There is nothing to support why one person might become a normal Infected, while another becomes a Special Infected. There is, however, a common trait among each individual type of Special Infected. For example, every Crusher is assumed to have been an individual of authority (such as the Crusher Captain) before they became Infected. All Chargers just'' happened'' to have worn a vest strapped with dynamite. 'Mutagens' With the use of Mutagens, players are able to become an Infected type of their choosing; Strikers or Crushers. This isn't to say that all Strikers and Crushers were caused by mutagens; but rather, mutagens were derived from their strain of Infection. Facts Because the virus originally stemmed from a drug, it may be considered as more of a biological contaminant (or even a pathogen) than a disease which brings the dead back to life. While they have been officially referred to as "the walking dead" or even "zombies", the Infected may simply be living individuals. Overview All Infected: *Have very noticeable changes in appearance and behavior. *Have more endurance and stamina than a normal human; and can move very quickly. *Have much more strength than any normal human. *Suffer a major loss of cognitive skills; though their reasoning is gone, they still retain some of their intelligence. *Suffer a major loss of vocal ability. *Suffer a major lack of balance; most Infected are hunched, and some can easily be knocked-back. *Have an increase in hearing ability. *Have glowing eyes. *Use their claws to attack; and can directly Infect other people. *Have a general resistance to all damage, thanks to their skin. * Have an immunity to: **toxicity (though Tier 1 Infected are susceptible to biochemical poison) **drowning **falling **flashbangs **nutshots (except Crushers) *Are extremely resistant to: **headshots **bullets in general; protection once ranged from near-immunity (0-4 damage max), to the current maximum (6-15 damage per bullet) after a series of updates. *Are (slightly) more vulnerable to: **melee attacks (though use of melee is discouraged) **explosives and fire Tier 1 Host Infected (Main article: Host Infected) Host Infected are a special type of Infected. Through the use of mutagens, these Infected are the original sources of the Infection. Because of their unique genetic make-up, and the fact that the Infection has had more time to completely bond with the Host, Host Infected have far more potential than the Viral Infected. Viral Infected (Main article: Viral Infected) Viral Infected '''consist of people who have contracted the virus through someone (or something) else. Direct contact (bites or scratches), and even prolonged exposure to the virus (Cabin Fever) are ways to become Viral Infected. Viral Infected are more numerous than Host Infected, though they are weaker. Differences Despite their similarities, there are major differences between a Host and Viral Infected. Further mutations can be classified under these two categories. '''Host Infected: *Have pallid, grey skin *Have more power, health, and sprint stamina *Have more "authority" *Have better vision (with no damage to the eyes) *Have normal camouflage (from a lack of injuries) Viral Infected: ' *Have fleshy, red skin *Have a clouded, "bloody" vision *Have a bloodier camouflage due to being covered in blisters and sores. Tier 2 The first major mutation resulted in four different types of Special Infected; the Mauler, the Charger, the Striker, and the Crusher. The Mauler * [[The Mauler|'Maulers]] are the weakest of the Infected, with no notable skills or abilities. However, to make up for their lack of power, they are the most common enemy NPC in the game. Their mutation has caused them to regain some of their human intelligence to put up blunt objects. The Charger * [[The Charger|'Chargers']] are the most aggressive of the Infected. They will not hesitate to charge, and will detonate once they come within range of you. The Striker * [[Striker|'Strikers']] are the fastest of the Infected. They hit fast and hard, and their slim frame makes them difficult to target. Strikers drop explosive growths upon death. The Crusher * [[Crusher|'Crusher's]] are the strongest of the Infected. They have the highest durability, attack range, and damage, but are very slow and large to compensate. Crushers release a toxic aura upon death. Variations * Assault Maulers * Bio-Crushers * Crusher Captain Tier 3 A second major mutation resulted in even worse transformations among the Infected. The Splicer * Splicers have the farthest attack range of the Infected, and immobilize their prey with a paralyzing neurotoxin through each successive hit. Like the Crusher, they also release a toxic aura upon death; though a Splicer's is much larger, in comparison. Glitches *As of the 3/3/10 patch, the Infected in Quarantine Regen have lower HP, but gained the ability to regenerate their HP. They can do this by simply standing still for 3 seconds. An Infected regains 10% of its health every second. Due to a recent patch, the Infected have lost their ability to regenerate. The newest patch allows them to regain 10% health again. **The Quarantine Regen Crusher regains 20% health instead. Trivia *The Infected have yet to be encountered in broad daylight. During gameplay, and in every trailer or cutscene, the Infected are have only been fought indoors, in the late evening, or night. *#They may resort to hiding underground while it is still bright out. An official statement also supports the theory that they are nocturnal, "But watch out! When the sun sets, the Infected roam..." *#An exception to this is Dead Vacation where Infected are fought in broad daylight outdoors on the beach. *Host Infected retain their base camo, but Viral Infected have a "bloody camo", result of the injuries taken when infected. *Some of the Infected leave a trail of bloody footprints wherever they go. This can be attributed to the fact that the blood vessels in the feet have expanded and burst, making the blood bleed out of the shoes onto the ground. *In Overdose, there is some evidence of animal testing (citation needed), meaning that humans may not have been the only test subjects. That may make it possible to have Infected types other than just humans later in the game. *Other than with their claws or other melee weapons, there is currently no other way for the Infected to attack and Infect. The Infected do not have long-range methods of attacking. *You can find a Quarantine poster in Kill Creek at the Bravo respawn site, right before the train tunnel. *The Infected seem to follow a given hierarchy, such as sending the strongest Infected only when necessary. **All Tiers of the Infected seem to tolerate each other (Such as The Mauler and The Splicer). *A prototypical vaccine was developed within the confines of Sector 25. However, terrorists who hoped to sell the "vaccine" on the Black Market attacked the site. The "vaccine's" current fate is unknown. *The Infected cannot pounce outside of any cinematics; they must be standing "straight" before they can leap. *When a player is lagging, loading, or D/C'ing from a game, their Infected form still wields whatever weapon is being currently held. *It is possible for some people to lag out and spawn with infected hands, but the rest of their body is human. *If the human is lagging with a weapon, when he/she is infected the infected soldier will be an infected with a weapon in their hand. *Some Infected can "Play Dead", such as in the Combat Arms: Zombies trailer and in Dead Water. *After Dead Water, the current status of the Infected is unknown. They have most likely been contained, and the vaccine has possibly worked now. Their place has since been essentially taken by the Abnormalities. Category:Antagonists Category:Infected Category:Fireteam Category:Featured Articles